Life

The Mysterious Other: As Barriers Disappear, Some Gender Gaps Widen

Are personality differences between the sexes innate, or socially conditioned? If the latter, you'd expect increasing equality to reduce the gap. But the opposite is happening, according to studies. "The more Venus and Mars have equal rights and similar jobs, the more their personalities seem to diverge." If the studies are right, "then men and women shouldn’t expect to understand each other much better anytime soon. Things could get confusing if the personality gap widens further as the sexes become equal. But then, maybe it was that allure of the mysterious other that kept Mars and Venus together so long on the savanna."